Day 2: Departure Day
Prior to ever leaving your home you are required to do a pre-boarding check in. This usually takes place on the cruise ships website. If you go through the Carnival app, like I did, you'll be redirected to their website. Once logged into your cruise account you will fill out your passport information, payment information, find and print out your boarding passes/luggage tags, and more. You will also be given a window to go through customs and board the boat.
- For this trip we were required to have passports. When leaving the United States you are not allowed to travel internationally when you have 6 months or less on your passport. If you are needing a passport please do it 6 plus months in advance. Prices can be found at your local post office. As an adult my passport is good for 10 years and was set to expire in the summer of 2024. As mentioned above, you need a visa. This visa will attach to the passport in your current possession. If you need to renew your passport you will need to get a new visa.
-Payment information is collected because the cruise ship runs off your room key. Your room key is your key to anything and everything on the cruise. If you want to buy a souvenir, drink or cocktail, maybe a massage in the spa? Your room key, or folio number, is taken down and the purchase is charged to your room. At the end of the trip you can either settle the payment at the customer service desk the night before the cruise is over or leave and have it charged to your card.
We checked out of the hotel and were able to tour around a little more of Seattle before getting on the last shuttle to head to the cruise terminal. We went to tour the
Space Needle . When booking tickets you are required to have a time slot for entry. You enter the bottom of the Needle and follow the ramp around the souvenir shop until you arrive at an elevator that takes you all the way up to the top of the Space Needle. Once on top you are given the opportunity to see views as far as Mount Rainer. Some of the Needle has glass bottom flooring. I was beyond terrified to walk across it. However, my mom had no issues. She was a whole other level of brave.
Once finished with our photo shoot we were able to take the elevator down and go tour the
Chihuly Gardens and Glass. I loved every minute of the exhibit. It was beyond amazing to experience all that Seattle had to offer. We did partake in a little souvenir shopping. When we finished we walked back to our hotel and headed to cruise terminal.
We handed off our luggage, proceeded to go through customs and got on the ship. Thankfully we were allowed on early. Once on board we found a comfortable place to sit, had lunch and proceed to enjoy the view. Do understand that without the visa a lot of people were turned away. Some people spent 20,000 dollars on this trip and even they were turned away because they did not get the visa.
Other important information: Do follow their rules as you don't want to be put in cruise ship jail. Also, do not smoke in your cabins. We found out a lot of people were kicked off the ship for smoking in their rooms and not in the designated areas. On top of fines they needed to figure out how to get home.
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